Third division side Rot-Weiss Essen defeated Ratingen 04/19 3:1 in the Lower Rhine Cup semi-final. Sascha Voelcke caught the eye after coming on as a substitute.

Rot-Weiss Essen qualified for the big Lower Rhine Cup final against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen with a lackluster but unchallenged 3-1 home win over Oberliga promotion contenders Ratingen 04/19.

One of the winners on Wednesday evening was winger Sascha Voelcke: The 22-year-old was substituted at half-time and scored the goal to make the final score 3:1. Apart from his goal, he was also involved in many of Essen’s attacking moves and made a good, committed impression.

“I think we took the game seriously right from the start. You’ve seen that you can’t underestimate Ratingen. They did a pretty good job. Unfortunately, we were offside a little too often, otherwise we could definitely have gone out with more goals. The anticipation for RWO is huge. We know the rivalry from the Regionalliga. We’re definitely looking forward to this final,” Voelcke summed up afterwards in the catacombs.

When asked what instructions head coach Christoph Dabrowski had given him before his substitution, the speedy winger replied: “He told me to use my strengths and look for depth. If my right foot was my strongest, I probably would have scored another goal.”

The Hamburg native is currently in good form: Before the international break, he scored his first third league goal against Borussia Dortmund II (4:0) and was also successful in the test match against NK Veres (3:1). He also provided the assist against MSV Duisburg (4:1) and scored against Ratingen. In his last 98 minutes on the pitch, Voelcke scored three times and provided one assist.

Of course I try to offer myself from week to week. Even if it’s only four or five minutes, I try to get everything out there and draw attention to myself. I think that’s worked quite well in the last few weeks.

Sascha Voelcke

“Of course I try to offer myself from week to week. Even if it’s only four or five minutes, I try to get everything out there and draw attention to myself. I think that has worked quite well in the last few weeks. They know what my situation is. My contract is coming to an end. We’re in discussions, but no final decision has been made yet,” explained the left-footer.

The Red & Whites continue their campaign on Sunday (April 14, 4.30 pm) at second-division relegated Arminia Bielefeld. Over 20,000 tickets have already been sold for this clash. The anticipation is great – also for Sascha Voelcke:

“We have no reason to travel to Bielefeld with any bad feelings. We’re in a good mood, want to stay in contention and will do everything we can to secure a win at the weekend. The place will be on fire and we’re also looking forward to the fans supporting us again. “